Photo: Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer (left) and Vice Chancellor Wilhelm Molterer at a press conference on October 31, 2007.
On Nov. 10, the debate seemed over. As indicated in my recent blog entry ‘Cash Off as Usual‘, I reported on the unwillingness of either of the large parties, SPÖ or ÖVP to change procedures for a glimpse of transparency, rejecting calls of Austrian MPs to declare their additional sources of income (Nebeneinkünfte) and other political and economic affiliations in the internet. However, in a dramatic U-turn, the Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer (Socialdemocrats) declared in a public appeal on Nov. 12 that Socialdemocratic MPs have nothing to hide and would be required to publish their additional sources of income. This is, of course, a voluntary nevertheless welcoming step by Austria’s largest party in a growing polarized public debate. Read the rest of this entry »
